Vincent van Gogh chronology

This is a chronology of the artist Vincent van Gogh. It is based as far as possible on Van Gogh's correspondence.[2] However, it has only been possible to construct the chronology by drawing on additional sources. Most of his letters are not dated, and it was only in 1973 that a sufficient dating was established by Jan Hulsker, subsequently revised by Ronald Pickvance and marginally corrected by others. Many other relevant dates in the chronology derive from the biographies of his brother Theo, his uncle and godfather Cent, his friends Émile Bernard and Paul Gauguin, and others.

Facts and dates which are undisputed (see Resources), remain unreferenced.

January 29: Uncle Cent, until then one of three shareholders of Goupil & Cie., retires from business, but continues holding his share, now 6/30 (and formerly 1/3?); Adolphe and Albert Goupil hold 7/30 each, and Léon Goupil 10/30.[7]

March: Tersteeg has recommended Theo to assist Goupil & Cie in Paris during the World Fair.

July 5: Vincent abandons studies and returns to Etten.

July 16–17: father introduces Vincent to the governors of the Evangelical College (Vlaamse opleidingsschool) in Laeken, near Brussels, accompanied by Reverend Jones.[17] (One of six founders in 1875 was Abraham van der Waeyen Pieterszen).

24 August: having postponed his departure to assist at the wedding of his sister Anna (August 21), Vincent moves to Laeken.[18]

January: for 6 months on trial, Vincent is accepted to do evangelical work in the Borinage.[19]

late June: Vincent learns his temporary contract will not be renewed; he is given three months to find something else.[20]

July 31: his contract ends.

August 1: next day, Vincent sets out on a first walk to find employment, all across the Borinage up to the North. Finally, in Tournai, he shifts to North-east to visit Reverend Abraham van der Waeyen Pieterszen in Maria-Hoorebeeke, but when he arrives on Sunday afternoon (August 3), Pieterszen is out for some days in Brussels, where they meet on Monday morning (August 4).[21]

August 5: he is in Cuesmes "again," close to Mons; as Theo is expected to pass Mons by train soon, Vincent asks his brother to meet there.[22]

August ?: spends a day with Theo, leaves for Wasmes in the evening where he is lodged by J. B. Denis, Rue du Petit Wasmes à Wasmes (Hainaut).[23]

mid March ???: when father tries to put him to an asylum (Gheel), he escapes to Cuesmes.

end March ???: Vincent sets out on a second walk to find employment in the Borinage; in the end he walks to Courrières and goes to visit Jules Breton, but doesn't have the nerve to enter the property.[26]

first days of July: a while after his return to Cuesmes, Vincent learns that money recently sent by his parents was in fact from Theo; thanking him for his support, Vincent tries to explain his present situation; he is staying with Ch. Decrucq, Rue du Pavillon 8, Cuesmes.[27] Theo forwarded this letter to the parents who commented on July 5.[28]

late November: writes letter to Uncle Stricker,[34] and within a couple of days goes to Amsterdam in person himself.[35]

?: arrives in Amsterdam and demands to see Kee but does not see her; aunt and uncle Stricker accompany him to a good and cheap lodging, where he stays for some days.[36]

November 27 or December 4: "Sunday evening" at about 7 o'clock, he arrives in The Hague to stay with Anton Mauve for some time. Mauve encourages him to work in oils and watercolours.

December 19: Vincent is still in The Hague[37] and unable to leave, as he is short of money.[38] A few days later he is back to Etten, and confesses that recently—evidently for the first time in his life—he sought the administrations of a back-street girl.[39][40]

December 25: On Christmas Day, Vincent quarrels with his father who had tried to force him to assist the Christmas service, and leaves for The Hague.[41][42]

September 11: arrives in Hoogeveen, late in the evening, and lodges with Albertus Hartsuiker, Groote Kerkstraat[46]

October 2: leaves Hoogeveen on the tow boat for Nieuw-Amsterdam/Veenoord: Van Gogh wrote his brother that he is staying in the first place, while his lodgings with Hendrik Scholte were indeed part of the latter village close-by.

August: Theo is on vacation in the Netherlands, discusses with family and uncles his plan to establish an art gallery of his own. Meanwhile, Vincent falls ill, and for some time Andries Bonger shares the apartment to care for Vincent and "S.," Theo's mistress.[53]

December/January (?): Vincent arranges an exhibition of paintings by himself, Bernard, Anquetin, and (probably) Toulouse-Lautrec in the Restaurant du Chalet, 43 Avenue de Clichy, on Montmartre. Bernard and Anquetin sell their first painting, Vincent exchanges work with Gauguin.[60]

May 8: Vincent admits himself to the asylum at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence; the only other option was to be transferred to a maison de santé elsewhere.

June ?: Gauguin and friends organize an exhibition of their works in the Café Volpini (Exposition des Peintures du Groupe impressioniste et synthétiste, faite dans le local de M. Volpini au Champ-de-Mars 1889); Vincent is invited to participate, but Theo thinks it is inappropriate.[64]

July 8: visit to Arles.

July 15: last batch of paintings from Arles sent to Paris.

July 18: crisis, lasting to midth end of August.

September: Van Gogh takes up work again.

September 3: Opening of the 5th exhibition of the Artistes Indépendants, running through October 4; Van Gogh contributes 2 paintings.

L’Auberge Ravoux, in Auvers-sur-Oise, where Vincent van Gogh spent his final months and where he died. It is now a French listed historic building and a tourist attraction incorporating a restaurant.

January 18: Opening of the 7th annual exhibition of Les XX, Brussels, running through February 23; Van Gogh contributes 6 paintings, one of them is sold to Anna Boch. At the dinner, Henry de Groux insults van Gogh's paintings and refuses to allow his work to be displayed alongside Van Gogh's; Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec challenges de Groux to a duel in Van Gogh's defense, and Paul Signac declares that he would continue in Van Gogh's defense if Lautrec should be killed. De Groux is subsequently expelled from les XX.[65]

February 22–23: while on a visit to Arles, Van Gogh falls ill and has to be brought back to Saint-Rémy on a carriage. This crisis, lasting about nine weeks until the last days of April, is the longest recorded.

March 20: Opening of the 6th exhibition of the Artistes Indépendants, running through April 27; Van Gogh contributes 10 paintings, 5 of which have already been shown at Les XX in Brussels. Gauguin, Guillaumin and other colleagues propose to exchange works;[66] Monet sends his congratulations.[67]

^Letter 510, July 15, 1888. There are two short accounts of this exhibition, one based on information supplied by Seurat, and the other written by Émile Bernard. For the paintings exchanged, see Annet Tellegen, Vincent en Gauguin. Schilderijenruil in Parijs, Museumjournaal 1966, pp. 42–44.